1 kilogram equals 2.2046226 pounds. Enter a value below to convert instantly.
Kilograms to pounds is one of the most-searched conversions there is, driven by body weight, airline baggage allowances and shipping. The factor — about 2.20462 pounds per kilogram — comes from the exact definition of the pound as 0.45359237 kg, so the conversion itself introduces no error.
Multiply the number of kilograms by 2.20462262185 to get pounds. How this is calculated
Need the other direction? Convert pound to kilogram →
Multiply the number of kilograms by 2.20462262185 to get pounds.
| Kilograms (kg) | Pounds (lb) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 2.2046226 |
| 2 | 4.4092452 |
| 3 | 6.6138679 |
| 5 | 11.023113 |
| 10 | 22.046226 |
| 20 | 44.092452 |
| 50 | 110.23113 |
| 100 | 220.46226 |
| 500 | 1,102.3113 |
| 1,000 | 2,204.6226 |
Clinical dosing is calculated per kilogram of body mass almost everywhere, including in US hospitals, while patients report their weight in pounds. The conversion sits directly in the dosing chain, which is why it is done carefully and documented rather than estimated.
Allowances are published in kilograms by most carriers and in pounds by US ones — 23 kg and 50 lb are the two common economy limits, and they are not the same: 23 kg is 50.7 lb. Bags packed to exactly 50 lb clear a 23 kg limit only because most airlines round in the passenger's favour.
Carriers bill by chargeable weight, comparing actual mass against volumetric mass. Mixing pounds and kilograms in that comparison produces a 2.2-fold error, which is why shipping systems normalise everything to one unit before charging.
Barbell plates are sold in both 20 kg and 45 lb versions, which are close (44.09 lb versus 45 lb) but not equal. Strength standards published in one unit do not transfer to the other without converting.
Values people actually look up, with the reason each one comes up. Every figure is calculated with the same engine as the converter above.
| Kilogram (kg) | Pound (lb) | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2.2046226 | The base conversion |
| 5 | 11.023113 | A newborn's rough weight |
| 20 | 44.092452 | An Olympic barbell |
| 23 | 50.70632 | A common checked-baggage limit |
| 50 | 110.23113 | A light adult |
| 70 | 154.32358 | An average adult |
| 80 | 176.36981 | An average adult |
| 100 | 220.46226 | A round figure |
The kilogram is an SI base unit, defined since 2019 by fixing the Planck constant rather than by a metal cylinder in a vault. The international avoirdupois pound is defined as exactly 0.45359237 kilograms. Both measure mass, not weight: a 70 kg person has the same mass on the Moon and weighs about a sixth as much there. Everyday use treats the two words as interchangeable, and for anything on Earth's surface that is a harmless shortcut — but it stops being harmless in physics and engineering, where pounds-force is a separate unit.
The factor is exact, so precision comes entirely from the scale. Bathroom scales read to about 0.1 kg or 0.2 lb, so quoting a converted body weight to three decimals is meaningless. Round to the nearest tenth for personal weight and to the nearest whole unit for baggage. For clinical dosing, follow the institution's own rounding rule rather than a general one — the convention there is set by the protocol, not by the arithmetic.
It is 0.2% low, which is 0.2 kg on a 100 kg load. Fine for a mental estimate, not for a freight charge or a dose.
In engineering, lb (mass) and lbf (force) are different units that happen to be numerically equal at standard gravity. Structural and mechanical calculations distinguish them.
UK body weights are often given in stones and pounds — 11 st 4 lb is 158 lb, not 11.4 lb. Fold the stones in at 14 lb each before converting.
Content on this page last reviewed 12 August 2026. Spotted an error? Report it — see also how these values are calculated.
1 kg expressed in every other weight & mass unit on this site.
The kilogram (kg) is a SI unit of weight & mass. The SI base unit of mass, defined since 2019 by fixing the Planck constant.
The pound (lb) is a Imperial unit of weight & mass. The international avoirdupois pound, exactly 0.45359237 kilograms.
70 kg is 154.32 lb. The exact factor is 1 kg = 2.2046226218 lb, derived from the pound's exact definition of 0.45359237 kg.
Not quite: 23 kg is 50.71 lb, so a 23 kg limit is slightly more generous than a 50 lb one. Airlines that publish both figures are rounding the same limit two ways.
Convert to pounds first, then divide by 14 for stones — the remainder is the pounds. 70 kg is 154.32 lb, which is 11 stone and 0.32 lb over 154, so 11 st 0 lb to the nearest pound.
One kilogram equals 2.2046226 pounds.
Multiply the number of kilograms by 2.20462262185 to get pounds.
One pound equals 0.45359237 kilograms.
This conversion is common when tracking body weight, shipping parcels, cooking, and dosing in fitness or nutrition.